"Spain faces very little competition in the paraguayo market"

"Unfortunately, this campaign we are only lacking demand, because the quality is very good," states Sandra Francile, of the commercial department of Frulesa. At the moment, the market has plenty of fruit from Spain, Italy, France and Greece, as their harvesting schedules have overlapped due to the mild winter and spring temperatures.

"Last year there was a smaller production, and this year we've had a good winter during which the trees had plenty of rest and the conditions were ideal for the flowering, so there was a very good setting, unlike in the case of pears and apples," explains Sandra Francile.

Also, according to the exporter, this season will be marked by the predominance of small calibres, not only in Spain, but in all producing countries. "Given that the trees are more loaded, there are hardly any big calibres, which reach slightly better prices."

Frulesa has its own plantations in Tarragona and Lleida, so it is able to harvest stonefruit from the last week of May until late September, with species such as nectarines, peaches, paraguayos, platerines, apricots and some cherries, as well as pears.

The paraguayo is the fruit that is easier to sell at the moment, since there is a varietal gap. In recent campaigns it has been the most requested product. "It is the product with which we face the least competition, since other countries don't produce it in the quantities that we do. France hardly has any production and the Italian volume is greater, but not very significant. Besides, we now have a better selection of paraguayo varieties," she affirms.

About 95% of what Frulesa produces is exported, both to Europe and to more distant markets. "We have the necessary protocols to ship to China, although the volume that we could actually send by sea is small, since there are few varieties that can withstand such long journeys. Until we find a technology that allows us to ship greater volumes by sea, we prefer to wait," points out Sandra Francile.

This week, Frulesa will start harvesting the first pears, which it exports to Brazil and Colombia, as well as to Europe. "We will begin with the first Ercolini and Moratini, and the Limonera will follow in ten days. This year we expect a smaller production due to the impact of cold waves during the setting."